Houston Jury Awards $35,000 in Motor Vehicle Negligence

On January 7, 2016, a motor vehicle collision occurred in Houston, Texas, at the intersection of Edgar Street and Buschong Road. The plaintiff, who was stopped at the intersection, alleged that a defendant driver, operating a vehicle in the course of his employment with a defendant company, turned onto Edgar Street and struck the front of the plaintiff's vehicle. The plaintiff subsequently filed a negligence action, claiming serious injuries to the cervical and lumbar spine that required medical injections.

The plaintiff alleged the defendant driver was negligent by operating the vehicle at an excessive speed, failing to make a safe turn, turning from the wrong lane, failing to maintain a single lane, and failing to maintain a safe distance. The plaintiff also claimed the defendant company was negligent in entrusting the vehicle to the driver. Both defendants denied the allegations of negligence and contended that any injuries sustained by the plaintiff were pre-existing.

On February 18, 2020, a jury found that the defendant driver was negligent but concluded that the defendant company was not. The jury awarded the plaintiff $20,000 for past medical expenses, $5,000 for past pain and suffering, and $10,000 for future medical expenses, totaling $35,000.